Daquan
In the summer of 2014 twitter user @RealRaymondJ posted the following image. “In the first week, the tweet gained over 14,500, retweets and 11,000 favorites” Know Your Meme. Daquan. Edited by Don. Sept. 19, 2014. http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/daquan (accessed Nov. 14, 2015). (Know Your Meme 2014). The image used by @RealRaymondJ is a stock-photo depicting a young white girl who appears to be in her early teens, holding up her hand and looking away from her mother, this might be interpreted as an appropriation of gestures often depicted and being acted out by African American women.. The mother is pointing her finger motioning that she is attempting to scold her daughter. Their staged poses are stiff and unintentionally humorous as an overly staged visual narrative. Arent this poses usually done by black women? Specially the teenager’s? The casual casual attire and the bedroom setting depicts them as stereotypical white middle class family in their home. This stock photo is meant to resemble some sort of disagreement that might happen between a white mother and her daughter. But the perfectly coiffed hair, stiff posing and unnatural positioning makes it seem very unnatural and strange. But no so casual…look at the mom’s hair, it is well coiffed… A caption above the image is a quote implying the the young girl is exclaiming to her motherthat reads: “MOM I DON’T WANT A DAVID, I WANT A DAQUAN.”. The comparison of the name “David” is a Judeo-Christian name from the Oold Ttestament and is a common name for white European males. The name Daquan and is meant to be interpreted as a particularly the name attributed to an African American male’s name connoted due to it’s uniqueness. An emphasis in creating or using unique names is common within African American families and can be interpretted as a way to give the child a sense of individuality in opposition to dominant culture. Noted by Smith, “ Set up the citation…“African Americans are certainly not the only ethnic group with unique given names. However, one of the legacies of racism is the intensification of differences between African Americans and members of the dominant culture.”Smith, Linda Anderson. "Unique Names and Naming Practices Among African American Families." Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Human Services (Families International, Inc.), 1996: 290. (Smith 1996). Comparing the girls desire to have a black boyfriend over a white boyfriend is in contention to the mother’s ideologies. Interracial relationships were outspokenly taboo for a long time throughout history, and even in todays culture it still makes some people uncomfortable and can be a touchy subject. The daughter’s response shows that the white mother, from an older generation, suggests that she should date a white boy instead of an African American based on her racial prejudices. To her David sounds like a nice white boy set up for success who could provide monetarily for her daughter, where Daquan is likely to be a thug, with no money and no real job. What lies underneath this jokes are the associations we make with biracial relationships, especially between white women and black men. Black men have often been sexualized associated with having “big black dicks” and an uncontrollable sex drive. White females are expected to remain pure and virginal. To someone like the mother having relations with a black male would tarnish her daughters purity and is unacceptable. Although this image is different from the original; the girl is slightly older, but her mother is still just as racist.and only their faces are visible. The iconic quality is the same. The fact the girl is older suggests that she is at an age where dating is considered more acceptable and the shock value or inappropriate allusions to sex is slightly lessened. But the name Daquan and the racial tension being exploited continues as a. take on the issues financial security and socio-economic status of black males.This caption addresses the issue of race more directly but in a humorous way, using common and trending phrases popular in within Black Twitter and hip hop culture. The reference to Daquan’s mixtape uses a running joke online referring to the commonality of amateur rappers and hip- hop artists openly self-promoting their music. Originally referencing cassette tapes with a mix of different songs, chosen and arranged by an individual, mixtapes have another definition within hip-hop culture. A mixtape is also understood to be a full length, self-produced album, often sampling pre-made tracks, and it is given out for free as a means of self-promotion. The irony within the caption, mocks all parties involved. The mother is questioning Daquan’s financial stability and reinforcing racial stereotypes that black males don’t make a lot of money. As well as enforcing an ideology centered around female gender roles, that she should expect males to be able to provide for her within her relationships. The girl’s rebuttal that Daquan’s mixtape is “drops in a week” is ironic in the fact that mixtapes most often generate zero income. If her daughter were to date a white man, this kind of questioning into his financial stability is only a work around to question his race. Some might take offense to the use of racial stereotyping, of whites and blacks, as the means to a joke, but I think that it is a useful tool within the dialogue of racial difference. Humor provides an opportunity to deconstruct and point out flaws in the system from a different perspective. Although there is potential for racial tensions when parents are uncomfortable with they’re daughter being in an interracial relationship, this example is an over-exaggeration paralleling many poor arguments citing cultural differences one might use to challenge interracial relationships.